Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that his government was withdrawing the Hijab ban prevalent in educational institutions. "There is no Hijab ban now. Women can go out wearing hijab. I have told the officials to take back the order issued by the previous government (led by the BJP). Dressing and eating food is our choice," he has been quoted as saying by ANI. The CM added that politics shouldn't be played over what people wear and eat. It was an indirect reference to the beef controversy as well.
However, questions have been raised by both the BJP and others. "Women could always wear hijab in public because there was never a hijab ban. What did happen was that you couldn’t wear hijab in colleges where a dress code disallowed it. The decision by the BJP government was upheld by the High Court of Karnataka. Does this mean that government order will be brought overruling the college dress codes?" asked journalist Padmaja Joshi.
"There is no Hijab or Burqa ban in Karnataka. There is only a uniform dress code in schools and colleges, which doesn’t allow for variation. Anyone has the freedom to wear anything outside. There is no ban on it there. Strange irresponsible statement from a CM of the state," wrote Dr. Lavanya Vemsani.
There is a view that the Congress party wants to resort to Muslim appeasement ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. If the BJP hits back, it would be accused of playing politics over food and attire choices.
